Quevedo or the Monument to Quevedo is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. A work by Agustín Querol, it is dedicated to Francisco de Quevedo, distinguished writer of the Baroque era.
A work by Agustín Querol, it was unveiled at its original location in the Plaza de Alonso Martínez on 5 June 1902 (the ceremony had been delayed several times by bad weather)[1] as part of a series of inaugurations of outdoor sculptures in Madrid on the occasion of the celebrations for the coming of age of King Alfonso XIII,[1] featuring several notable figures such as—aside from Quevedo—Agustín Argüelles, Lope de Vega, Juan Bravo Murillo, Eloy Gonzalo and Goya.[2][3]
The standing Carrara marble statue representing Quevedo is featured on the top of the monument.[4][5] He is wearing his staple Pince-nez (called quevedos in Spanish after him) and the cross of Saint James on his chest.[4] Four allegorical sculptures representing Satyre, Poetry, Prose and History embrace the limestone plinth.[6]
The Novelda limestone from the pedestal eroded by the 1960s and the pedestal was replaced by a replica of (less porous) stone from Atarce sculpted by Fernando Cruz Solís .[4] The monument was moved to its current location in the Glorieta de Quevedo in the 1960s.[7]
A fountain made of granite from Badajoz was installed on the base of the monument in 1999.[4]
"A don Francisco de Quevedo, en piedra"—a poem authored by José Ángel Valente part of Poemas a Lázaro—is dedicated to the statue.[8]